September 21, 2007—Ford Motor Company recently installed an eco-friendly pollution control system, and is developing an anti-corrosion technology that cuts water use by its paint shops by almost half.
Ford installed the third generation of its patented Fumes-to-Fuel system at its Oakville Assembly Plant. The pollution-control system converts emissions from the plant’s paint shop into electricity to help power the plant. The Oakville system will launch with a 120-kilowatt internal combustion engine and after a year of testing and further development will migrate to a stationary large-scale (300-kilowatt) fuel cell to enhance the system’s effectiveness.
Ford claims that the installation is the first of its kind in the world to harvest emissions from an automotive facility for use in fuel cells. The fuel cell-powered system is expected to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 88 percent and eliminate nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions.
Ford is also developing a new environmentally friendly anti-corrosion technology that the company says cuts water use in automotive paint shops by 40 percent, decreases the production of waste that has to be processed into non-hazardous sludge and taken to landfills by a full 90 percent, and saves energy costs because it does not require heated water.
For more information about Ford’s environmental initiatives, visit online.
